Machines for making shoulder pads



Aug. 2, 1955 M. R. SAXBY 2,714,360

MACHINES FOR MAKING SHOULDER PADS Filed Dec. 16, 1953 5 Sheets-Sheet 1 2, 1955 M. R. SAXBY 2,714,360

MACHINES FOR MAKING SHOULDER PADS Filed Dec. 16, 1955 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VEN TOR.

Maw/NA. SAXBY A T7'ORNEY Aug. 2, 1955 M. R. SAXBY MACHINES FOR MAKING SHOULDER PADS Filed Deb.

5 Sheets-Sheet 5 IN VEN TOR. 44,419 WN/QJAXB Y United States Patent 0 MACHINES FOR MAKING SHOULDER PADS Marvin R. Saxby, Tottenville, Enterprise Corporation, tion of New York N. Y., assignor to Machine New York, N. L, a corpora- This invention relates to an apparatus or machine for making garment parts, and more particularly shoulder pads of the triangulated form presently employed in womens dresses, coats and other garments.

These pads usually consist of a soft interior padding or lining covered by an outer textile fabric. this kind are in the form of a square section of both materials in superposed relation, folded diagonally and stitched along two edges of the pad to form a triangulated pad with both of its exposed faces covered by the outer fabric or covering.

It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for producing pads of this character, and which pads will be rapidly and uniformly produced at a minimum of manufacturing cost.

It is another object of the invention to produce an apparatus which will feed the pad material; which will sever the material into the required lengths or squares; fold the severed sections diagonally and hold the resultant folded, triangular sections While two of the edges thereof are stitched to produce the finished triangular pad, and to provide means for extracting the finished pad from its holding means.

With these and other objects to be hereinafter set forth in view, I have devised the arrangement of parts to be described and more particularly pointed out in the claims appended hereto.

In the accompanying drawings, wherein an illustrative embodiment of the invention is disclosed, Fig. l is a top plan view of a machine constructed in accordance with the invention but with certain portions of the machine omitted to more clearly show features of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a top plan view of the completed shoulder P Fig. 3 is a side elevational view of the feeding mechanism;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of one of the clamps, showing the device for retaining the folded pad within the clamp while the folder blade is elevated;

Fig. 5 is a face view of one of the clamps;

Fig. 6 is a top plan view of slotted suction plate;

Fig. 7 is a face view of the folder blade; and

Fig. 8 is a sectional view on the line 8--8 of Fig. 1, looking in the direction of the arrows.

The machine forming the subject matter of the present invention, is particularly adapted for the manufacture of shoulder pads of the type used in dresses, coats and other garments intended for feminine wear. Such a pad is disclosed in Fig. 2 wherein it will be observed that the same is of triangular form and consists of an outer covering of a relatively closely-woven textile material 1 enclosing a lining or padding 2 of cotton or other suitable soft, compressible material. These pads are usually made by folding a square section of the padding and underlying cover material on a diagonal line and then stitching together the two meeting edges of the doubledover square by the stitching extending along said edges and indicated at 3 and 4.

Pads of I.

Iii

2,714,350 Patented Aug. 2, 1955 ice In the machine of the present invention, the padding and covering fabric therefor are intermittently fed together from a source of supply, such as webs from supply rolls, to a point where squares of the padding and underlying fabric are successively cut off. Each square is suctionally held upon an angularly-slotted supporting plate until a descending blade strikes the square of padding-and-covering, thus folding it diagonally upon itself and forcing the doubled-over square down through the slot in the supporting plate. A clamp is, at that time, positioned below the slot in the supporting plate and as the doubled-over square is forced down through the slot, it enters into the open upper end or mouth of the clamp and is received and held between the jaws of the clamp. The blade then begins to rise, and tendency of the pad then located between the jaws of the clamp to follow the rising blade, is prevented by a retaining means in the form of a member having prongs which enter through openings in the clamp and penetrate the pad and hold it between the jaws of the clamp until the rising blade clears the upper limits of the clamp. The clamp, which is one of several clamps carried on a conveyor, and is moved through a rectilinear path, is then pivoted downwardly to a horizontal position and is moved by the carrier to a sewing machine which applies the stitching shown at 3. The conveyor then carries the clamp with the partially stitched pad between its jaws to a second sewing machine which applies the row of stitching indicated at 4, and the sewing of the pad is then completed. The clamp, now carrying the sewed pad, is moved to a. final position, where a rotating extractor grips an exposed part of the pad and draws it out of the jaws of the clamp and carries it away from the clamp to a point of discard, where the finished pad is released by the fingers and dropped into a suitable collection receptacle.

The invention includes a number of other features present in the machine, and the construction and operation of the same will be readily apparent as this description progresses.

By reference to Fig. 3, it will be noted that the supply of padding material 2 is carried by a supply roll 5 suitably supported at one end of the machine. The supply of relatively closely-woven, thin covering material 1 is drawn from the roll 6, and the two webs from the rolls are drawn therefrom toward the left over the table 7, with the covering material 1 disposed underneath the padding.

The padding and the covering material are moved toward the left in Figs. 1 and 3, by means of a reciprocating carriage 8, including a plate 9, carrying a plurality of needles or prongs til which penetrate the padding and covering upon the descent of the pronged plate, and thus pick up the material from the surface of the table 7. The carriage plate 9 is supported from the cross bars 11 by bars 121:, the cross bars 11 riding on vertically-movable rails 12 carrying rollers 13 for engagement with the in clined faces of earns 14. The earns 14 are mounted on a slide 15' suitably actuated by an air cylinder 90 or other means by which said slide will be reciprocated at the proper time. The feed carriage 8 is reciprocated by the air cylinder 16 in which a double-acting piston is contained, the same being moved in opposite directions by the air flow through the pipes or tubes indicated at 17 and 18 respectively. The piston rod 19, extending from the piston in the cylinder 16, terminates in a clevis 20 pivotally attached to a lug 21 extending upwardly from one of the cross bars 11 of the feed carriage. Table 7 is grooved as at 91 to provide clearance for prongs Iii.

The arrangement just described is such that when the piston in the cylinder 16 is moved toward the right, as viewed in Figs. 1 and 3, the carriage 8 will be drawn in that direction While held elevated by the earns 14.

At the end of its travel toward the right, the carriage Will be caused to descend by movement of the cam slide 15 toward the right, and the descent of the carriage will cause its prongs to penetrate the padding 2 and covering material then underlying the same upon the surface of the table 7. The carriage 8 is next moved to the left, and it will move the padding and covering material then impaled on its prongs along the surface of the table. Adjacent to the left end of the table 7 and adjacent to the grooves 91 is provided suction openings 23 through which suction is exerted to hold the end portion of the material on the table during elevation and retracting movements of the carriage 8. The carriage is next elevated by movement of the slide and it becomes free from the material and retracts toward the right, while the padding and covering material is suctionally held on the table 7.

On the next feeding movement of the carriage 8 by the means just described, the covering material and padding is urged forwardly beyond he table 7 and over the face of a substantially square suction plate or block 24, shown in plan view in Fig. 6. The suction plate 24 is provided with a fiat upper face 25 and a hollow interior. The suction holes 26 emerge at the upper face of the plate, and a vacuum is exerted through the plate by means of a pump or other source, operative through the piping 27 connected to the hollow interior of the plate 24. Extending diagonally across the suction plate 24 is a slot 28 and a square of the padding and underlying fabric covering is thrust downwardly through this slot in a manner to be presently explained. The square of the padding and covering therefor that is cut from the webs is severed by means of a pivoted knife blade or shearing member 29 which is pivoted at 30 and co-operates with a fixed shearing blade 31 to sever successive squares of material of predetermined size from the webs. The blade is pivotally moved, at the required times, by means of an air cylinder indicated at 32.

Located above the suction plate 24 is the folder blade indicated at 33, and the same is secured by the bracket 34 to a plunger 35 which is caused to vertically reciprocate by means of an air cylinder or other suitable actuating mechanism. The lower end of the blade is notched as indicated at 36 to clear retaining prongs on an element to be shortly described. The lower end of the blade 33 is provided with prongs 37 which, upon the descent of the blade, penetrate the square of fabric then resting on top of the suction plate 24 and prevent the square from becoming askew while it is being doubled upon itself and is being forced downwardly through the slot 28 in the plate 24.

When the blade 33 descends through the slot 28, forcing the doubled square of material down through said slot, a clamp 38 of the type shown in Fig. 5 is positioned directly below the slot 28 in an upstanding position with its mouth or open end in position to receive the folded pad. The clamp consists of a pair of triangular plates or jaws 39 held in suitably spaced relation by a spring hinge 40. The clamp is also capable of pivotal movement on a pivot 41 to enable it to assume either a vertical position as shown in Fig. 5, or else assume a flat or horizontal position as indicated at A and B in Fig. 1. It will also be noted that the jaws 39 of the clamp are apertured, as shown at 42, to permit of the passage of a pair of prongs 43 provided on a swinging arm 44. Said arm 44 is pivoted at 45 on a bracket 46 which has an arm 47 supporting a solenoid 48. The core 49 of the solenoid 48 is pivotally connected to the pivoted links 50 and 51, and the link 51 is pivoted at 42 to the end of the arm 44. This arrangement is such that when the solenoid is energized, the core will be retracted and the arm 44 will be swung in a manner indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 4. This will cause the prongs 43 to enter through the apertures 42 in the clamp and penetrate the doubled-over square material now in triangular form then held be tween the jaws of the clamp. The prongs 43, thus entering the pad then held by the clamp will hold the pad until the blade 33 is elevated out of the clamp, so that any tendency on the part of the folded pad to rise out of the clamp when the blade 33 is elevated, will be prevented by the prongs 43.

In the arrangement shown, four clamps at equally spaced positions, are moved through a rectilinear path from the loading station directly below the slot 28, and indicated at C, to the sewing stations indicated at A and B respectively and thence to the extraction station indicated at D. The clamps are moved by a chain conveyor, a portion of which is shown at 55, and which is of known construction and therefore will not be herein dercribed in detail. It is sufficient to state that the conveying means moves the several clamps to the several stations where the sewing occurs and the sewed pads are successively moved to the extraction station where they halt and are removed by an extractor to be presently described.

After a folded square of the padding and covering therefor has been inserted in a clamp then located at the station C directly below the slot 28, and the blade 33 has been eievated and the prongs 43 withdrawn from the apertures 42, the clamp at station C is then folded down to horizontal position. This is done by means of a pushrod 56 having a rounded knob or end 57 which, upon forward movement of the push-rod, impinges against the then vertical clamp and folds the same downwardly upon its hinge 41. The push-rod is connected to the piston of an air cylinder, and said piston is double-acting and is moved in two directions by the air fiow exerted through the conduits indicated respectively at 59 and 60. The folded-down clamp, now in its horizontal position is moved under a frame 61 which holds it down in a horizontal position, while the push-rod retracts to the position shown in Fig. 1.

The folded square of padding and covering material that is held in each clamp has two of its edges, namely, those in which the stitching 3 and 4 is placed, protruding beyond the edges of the jaws of the clamp so that the stitching can be made along those edges of the pad. As the folded-down clamp is moved from the station C to the station A the edge which receives the stitching 3 is guided between guide rollers (not shown) preparatory to reaching a sewing machine 63 which is preferably of the merrow or zig-zag type, and which sews the stitching 3 along one edge of the pad. When the pad reaches the point A, the stitching 3 has been applied, and now the pad is moved toward the station E and past a second sewing machine indicated at 64. On its way to the sewing machine 64, the edge of the pad that is to receive the stitching 4, is flattened under rollers 65 suitably rotated by belt drive 66 to press down the edge of the pad. The sewing machine 64 produces the line of stitching shown at 4 and the work on the pad is then completed. The two sewing machines are driven at similar speeds by means of the connecting driving means extending between them and consisting of the bevel gear 67 in mesh with a gear 68 on the shaft 69 carrying a gear 70 that meshes with a gear 71 on shaft 72 which carries the bevel gear 73 in mesh with the gear 74 on the drive shaft 75 of sewing machine 64.

Means is provided for cutting the threads at the conclusion of each sewing operation, such means not being shown herein but being the subject matter of my copending application Serial No. 398,519, filed December 16, 1953. It is sufficient to state that when the pad reaches station B, the same is complete and is in the form shown in Fig. 2 and is ready for extraction from the machine.

The extraction or delivery point is shown at D and at this point the clamp holding the finished pad has risen to a vertical position with the sewed portion of the pad protruding slightly out of its jaws. The extractor includes a vertical rotated shaft 76 carrying a radially-extending arm 77 at the end of which is a pair of fingers 78 and 79, said fingers being adapted to be either brought together into gripping position when engaged in holding the pad, or else separated to cause them to release the pad at the required time, by means of the stationary cam around which the arm 77 rotates.

From the foregoing, the operation of the described machine will be readily understood. By means of the feed carriage 8, the padding and covering therefor are moved along toward the cutting means 29, 31 where the material is cut off into squares of predetermined size and said squares are successively delivered to the suction plate. The descent of the blade 33 doubles each square upon itself, and forces it between the jaws of the waiting clamp. The retainer 44 has its prongs forced into the pad and holds it in the clamp while the blade 33 ascends. Pushrod 56 folds the clamp down to a horizontal position and the clamp, while in such position is moved to the sewing machine 63 where the stitching indicated at 3 occurs. The clamp then carries the pad to the sewing machine 64 where the stitching 4 occurs. Now the finished pad is moved to the delivery or extraction station D. There the arm 77 swings around to cause its finger 78 and 79 to locate the projecting edge of the pad between them. The cam 30 closes the. fingers on the pad, and as the swing of the arm 77 continues in a counter-clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. 1, the pad then held between the fingers 78 and 79 will be drawn out of the clamp and carried by the extractor to a point beyond the edge of the table 81. At this time, cam 86 will act to separate the fingers 78 and 79, allowing the finished pad to drop out into a waiting receptacle.

Having described one embodiment of the invention, it is obvious that the same is not to be restricted thereto, but is broad enough to cover all structures coming within the scope of the annexed claims.

What I claim is:

1. An apparatus for making shoulder pads comprising, feeding means including a carrier having a reciprocating and an up and down movement, said carrier having prongs entering penetrable pad material disposed below it, a suction plate to which the pad material is delivered by operation of the carrier, cutting means operative adjacent to the suction plate to sever a section of the pad material and leave the severed section resting upon the suction plate, the suction plate having a slot extending across it, a blade reciprocable above the slot and operative to double the pad material upon itself and force it downwardly through the slot While so doubled upon itself, a clamp disposed below the slot and receiving the doubled material, and stitching means to which the doubled material is conveyed by said clamp.

2. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a plate upon which a padding and a covering therefor are held flatly by suction means, said plate having a slot extending diagonally across it, a blade mounted for reciprocating movement above the slot and movable edgewisely through the slot to thereby double the padding and covering material upon itself and force it down through the slot, a clamp having spaced jaws located below the slot and in position to receive the doubled-over padding and covering material when the same is moved by the blade, means operative to hold the padding and covering material in the clamp while the blade is withdrawn therefrom, and stitching means to which the clamp and the material carried by it is conveyed.

3. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a surface upon which a padding and a covering fabric therefor are held flatly, said surface including a slot extending through it, a plunger mounted for reciprocating movement above the slot and adapted upon movement in one direction to double the padding and covering upon itself and force it through the slot, a clamp having a mouth disposed toward the slot and located in position to receive the doubled-over padding and covering and hold the same in such doubled-over formation, stitching means to which the clamp carries the padding and covering and which means stitches the edges of the padding and covering to form the finished pad.

4. In an apparatus as provided for in claim 3, including means for folding down the clamp to a horizontal position while the same is holding the padding and covering, means for holding the clamp in such position while the padding and covering is being stitched, and means for extracting the finished pad from the clamp after the stitching has taken place.

5. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a plate upon which a padding and a covering therefor are held flatwisely, said plate being provided with a cross slot, a blade mounted for reciprocating movement above the slot and adapted upon its descent to strike the padding and covering and double them upon themselves and force them down through the slot, a clamp having a pair of jaws maintained in separated relation below the slot and receiving the doubled-over padding and covering as the same is thrust downwardly by the blade, and means for engaging the padding and covering while the same are positioned in the clamp and penetrating and holding the same while the blade is removed from between them.

6. An apparatus for making shoulder pads comprising, a support for a strip of pad material, a reciprocating feeder for said material consisting of a pronged element penetrating the material and raising it and shifting it longitudinally for a predetermined distance, pneumatic holding means for suctionally engaging the material after it has been moved by the feeder and holding the material while the feeder retracts, means for severing a square section from the fed material, a suction plate on which the material is held while being severed from the strip, said plate having a diagonally-extending slot, a plunger mounted for raising and lowering movement above the plate and adapted upon its descent to fold the square of material upon itself and force the same down through the slot, a clamp held with an open mouth disposed uppermost and located below the slot in the plate and receiving the folded square as it is forced down by the plunger, stitching means to which the clamp is moved and which means stitch the material along its edge while it is supported by the clamp, and an extractor for withdrawing the finished pad from the clamp after it has been acted upon by the stitching means.

7. In an apparatus as provided for in claim 6, wherein means is provided for swinging the clamp to a horizontal position while it is holding the folded material and before it is moved to the sticthing means, and means for causing the clamp to rise to an erect position after it leaves the stitching means whereby the clamp is in such erect position when it reaches the extractor.

8. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a movable clamp in which a doubled-over pad is held, stitching means to which the pad is carried by the clamp and which stitching means operate to stitch the pad along its edges, an extractor for removing the stitched pad from the clamp including a rotative arm, a pair of gripping fingers carried thereby, means for swinging the arm to cause the fingers to be carried to the pad in the clamp, means for closing the fingers and causing the same to grip the pad and withdraw the same from the clamp, and means for opening the fingers to permit release of the pad after the fingers have been moved away from the clamp.

9. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a surface over which a strip of pad material is moved, a reciprocating feeder movable above the surface and having pronged elements for penetrating the material and shifting it toward one end of the surface, means for causing a release of said pronged elements from the material at predetermined times, a cutter for severing squares of material from the strip, a plate on which said squares of the material are successively held, said plate having a slot, a reciprocating blade mounted above the slot and adapted to be moved through the same to thereby force a square of material in doubled formation down through the slot, a clamp located below the slot and in position to receive the doubled-over square of material, means for engaging the material and holding the same while the blade is retracted from within the clamp, stitching means to which the clamp conveys the material and which stitching means operates to stitch the edges of the material while the same is held in the clamp, and means for extracting the stitched pad from the clamp after the completion of the stitching operation.

.10. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, feeding means for the pad material including a pronged car rier having a raising and lowering as well as a horizontal reciprocating movement, means for lowering the carrier at one endof its horizontal movement to thereby cause its prongs to engage the material, said means also causing the ascent of the carrier after said carrier has advanced horizontally with the material impaled on its prongs, a stripping device carried by said carrier for stripping the material from the prongs as the carrier is elevated, a base over which the material is shifted, by the carrier, and such means operative in the base for holding the material while the same is being stripped from the carrier.

11. In an apparatus as provided for in claim 10, and including a supporting plate over which the material is disposed after leaving the base, suction-creating means operative through the supporting plate for holding thereon :3

a severed section of the material, means for folding said severed section of material upon itself, a clamp into which the folded section of material is thrust by the folding means, means for swinging the clamp to a substantially horizontal position, and stitching means to which the folded material is carried by the clamp while the clamp is horizontally positioned.

12. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a flat support on which pad material is suctionally held, said support having a slot extending across it, a folder moved down through the slot to thereby fold the material upon itself and force it downwardly through the slot, a clamp positioned below the slot and receiving the folded material as the same is moved down by the folder, means for moving the clamp through a predetermined path, and

stitching devices arranged adjacent to the path of movement of the clamp to stitch parts of the material exposed out of the clamp.

13. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a clamp in which a pad is gripped and is carried to stitching means, stitching means for sewing the edges of the pad while the pad is held in the clamp with the edges to be stitched O u projecting out of the clamp, an extractor positioned after the stitching means for removing the stitched pad from the clamp after the pad has been stitched, said extractor including gripping means positioned to engage the projecting portion of the pad and engaging and withdrawing the pad out of the clamp, and means for releasing the grip of said gripping means on the pad after said gripping means has carried the pad away from the clamp.

14. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a clamp, means for folding pad material and thrusting it into the clamp, stitching means to which the pad is carried by the clamp and which stitches the pad along its edge, an extractor located after the stitching means and to which the pad is carried by the clamp after said pad has been stitched, and means for operating the extractor to cause the same to withdraw the stitched pad from the clamp and carry it away from the clamp and then release the pad. I

15. In an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a clamp, means for feeding pad material, means for severing the pad material into squares, means for angularly folding the squares on themselves, clamps into which the folded squares are inserted, stitching devices to which the squares are successively carried by the clamps and which stitching devices stitch the folded squares along their edges to produce finished pads, an extractor to which each clamp carries a pad, and means for operating the extractor to cause it to withdraw each pad from its clamp and carry the pad away from the clamp and then release the pad.

16. in an apparatus for making shoulder pads, a plate on which a square of pad material is rested, said plate having a cross slot, a blade movable through the slot to thereby double the pad material on itself and force the same through the slot, a clamp disposed in an erect position adjacent to the slot and located in a position to receive the folded pad from the blade, a plunger arranged to contact the jaw after the same receives the folded pad material and swing the jaw to a horizontal position, stitching means to which the clamp carries the folded pad material, and means for holding the clamp in a horizontal position while the same is moved to the stitching means and while the pad material is being stitched thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Re. 660 Smith Feb. 8, 1859 858,005 Lowe June 25, 1907 1,112,288 Hindebrandt a- Sept. 29, 1914 1,187,057 Foster June 13, 1916 1,397,071 Becker Nov. 15, 1921 

